What Makes A ‘Good’ All Season Tire? 5 Ways To ‘Separate Wheat From Chaff’

Today’s post explains how to navigate the broad all-season tire category to find good all-season tires for your unique vehicle, budget, and driving needs. Read on to learn more, or contact your local TIRECRAFT to start a free tire consultation straight away.

What Makes A ‘Good’ All-Season Tire?

Given that all-season tires are the most popular type of rubber on the road, it may come as a surprise to learn just how tough it can be to find good all-season tires.

But how can this be, given that you can find the best all-season tires right at your local TIRECRAFT?

While there are plenty of excellent options on the market, the all-season category is extremely broad and lightly regulated. In fact, the term “all-season tire” encompasses sticky summer track stars, award-winning winter warriors, and true jacks-of-all-trades, along with a wide range of generic, low-cost tires that don’t do anything particularly well.

This not only puts shoppers at risk of the paradox of choice (AKA paralysis by analysis), but it also means that two all-season tire buyers can end up with two very different tires, designed with different features, capabilities, and longevity characteristics.

“There is no realistic requirement to be all-season,” said Joe Maher, product manager at Continental Tires, in a recent Modern Tire Dealer report (Manges, 2021). “You can have an all-season tire that would virtually be a summer tire, and you can have an all-season tire that would be closer to a winter tire.”

Imagine setting out to buy a good all-season tire with year-round performance capabilities, only to end up with a summer-oriented “all-season” that’s dangerous to drive on snowy roads! They might be “good” all-season tires, depending on how you define the broad all-season tire category, but they’re not good for you.

Given the lack of standardized all-season tire features, the best way for beginners to shop is to book a personalized needs assessment. Our all-season tire specialists will learn about your unique tire budget, needs, and daily driving conditions, then prepare a shortlist of good all-season tire options based on your criteria. And best of all, it’s 100% free.

If you’re not ready for a consultation, but you still want help finding good all-season tires, use the following checklist to separate the wheat from the chaff:

1. Good all-season tire warranty—To protect your investment and manage long-term all-season tire costs, make sure you find a decent warranty. All of the top manufacturers offer a sound Limited Manufacturer warranty, which can be combined with the coverage provided by the TIRECRAFT Advantage Plus Program.

2. Good all-season tire treadwear—If long-lasting tires matter to you, look for all-seasons with a generous treadwear rating. For example, the Goodyear MaxLife is guaranteed for 140,000km, which nearly doubles some good all-season tire treadwear ratings.

3. Good all-season tire performance certifications—Although the all-season tire industry is only lightly regulated, consumers can use performance certifications from the Tire and Rubber Association of Canada (TRAC) to get a sense for their capabilities in different weather and road conditions. If you intend to use your all-seasons in the snow, look for the 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) symbol, sometimes known as the alpine symbol. If you don’t see a lot of harsh winters, the mud and snow (M+S) rating will probably be sufficient.

4. Good all-season tire tread depth—Most good all-season tires will have an average tread depth of 8 to 9 millimeters (10/32 to 11/32 inches).

5. Good all-season tire speed rating—Most good all-season tires will have an S rating, meaning they can perform at speeds up to 180 km/h. If you intend to take your vehicle on the track, you’ll need to investigate special ultra-high performance all-seasons.

Find Good All-Season Tires Near Me: Contact TIRECRAFT

To book a free all-season tire consultation and get a free shortlist of personalized recommendations, contact your local TIRECRAFT.

References

Manges, M. (2021, September 28). Continental jumps into the all-weather segment. Modern Tire Dealer.

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